Rogers and Cowan – Celebrity PR for More Than 65 Years
Rogers and Cowan is part of the Interpublic Group of Companies (IPG) and is global, with their headquarters in Los Angeles and other offices in New York, Florida, and London. R&C opened their doors in 1950 representing actors and actresses, although up until that time, most performers were represented by their studios. R&C represented a new way of doing things.
Leadership and Clients
The original founders were Henry Rogers and Warren Cowan. Tom Tardio has been in charge as Chairman since 1991. Paul Bloch serves as co-Chairman and is one of the original partners, and the CEO as of 2015 is Mark Owens.
Not long after Tardio took charge, R&C began representing more than performers, adding festivals, awards events, independent studio and film releases, recording artists, fashion collections and designers, and cable television networks. Some of their clients over the years include Chris Pratt, Hasbro, Miramax, The Rolling Stones, and Brie Larson.
Perks and Problems
R&C is best known for their celebrity efforts, but they also work with a comprehensive group of talents in music, content, fashion and beauty, tech industries, social media campaigns, content, retail and consumer, and luxury lifestyle brands. For those looking to get their foot in the celebrity PR door, this is a good jumping-off place, but after hitting account executive level, there appears to be limited room for advancement. It should be noted that at least one of their Executive VPs (Alan Nierob) worked his way up to that position from an entry level and in the process has represented several A-level celebrities including Jamie Foxx, Richard Gere, Mel Gibson, and Liam Neeson.
Getting a Job There
Check out the current openings at career section. Or you can check out their office, their culture, and a bit of their humor at Rogers & Cowan. Be aware that several comments on Glassdoor say there is very little company culture and sometimes the firm can seem set in their ways. That doesn’t appear to stop their many celebrity clients from signing with them though.
Miscellaneous
In recent years, R&C has acquired several smaller PR firms, expanding their global reach and talent base along the way. They have a separate PR brand and marketing entity begun in 2009 called AllWays Integrated Marketing. They also have an excellent record of product placement in films and other media productions.
